Work supporting and clamping fixture for workbenches



H. E. CLAUSS Nov. 1, 1949.

WORK SUPPORTING AND CLAMPING FIXTURE FOR WORKBENCHES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1945 INVENTOIZ. f/E/EMH/V E. 52/4065, BY

flrrO/z/VEK M ME . JJ I MMJMAE W WORK SUPPORTING AND CLAMPING FIXTURE FOR WORKBENCHES Filed Oct. 29, 1945 H. E CLAUSE Nov. 1, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 1, 1949. H. E. cLAuss 2,486,634

WORK SUPPORTING AND CLAMPING FIXTURE FOR WORKBENCHES Filed Oct. 29, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

HEEMfl/V CZm/ss.

Patented Nov. 1, 1949 WORK SUPPORTDNG AND CLAMPING FIXTURE FOR WORKBENCHES Herman E. Clauss; Afiton, Mo.

Application October 29, 1945, Serial No. 625,256

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a work supporting and clamping fixture for Workbenches, as used by carpenters, cabinet makers, mechanics, assemblers, and the like.

The object of my present invention is the provision of a work supporting and clamping fixture which, when attached to a workbench, or a plank supported by wooden horses, will enable workmen to support and clamp work on which operations are to be performed, in vertical and/or horizontal positions above the workbench and vertical and/or angular positions in front of the workbench for dressing, shaping, sawing, filing, mortising, notching, gluing, and other operations as usually performed by carpenters, cabinet makers, mechanics, etc., and whereby metal parts, and devices of any material may be supported and clamped to be worked on, assembled, repaired and disassembled.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a fixture for supporting work at the lower edges thereof below clamping means, and for supporting work below and between the clamping means, before the work is clamped in position for operations to be performed thereon.

A further object of the invention is the provision of clamping jaws that are supported for selected rotary adjustment so as to hold work in any desired position with relation to the front and the top of a workbench.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rotatable clamping jaw having clamping surfaces of different shapes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a fixture that will accommodate, support and clamp small work pieces, as well as large-work pieces and as relates to thickness, width and length thereof.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and finally pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the fixture embodying the features of my invention.

Fig; 2 is a front elevation of the fixture.

Fig. 3 is a full sized sectional view of the fixture taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the clamping jaw in a position for holding the work in a perpendicular position in front of the workbench.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the clamping jaw in full lines for holding the work at an angle sixty degrees to the top plane of the workbench and at an angle of forty-five degrees to the top plane of the workbench.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View showing the auxiliary work supporting rest supported by the slideway.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the clamping jaw in a position for holding the work in a horizontal position. or parallel with the top plane of the workbench.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional elevation of one of the clamp bodies.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of one of the clamping Jaws.

In carrying out my present invention, I employ, briefly, a board A; a guide or supporting member designated, generally as B; a pair of clamp bodies designated, generally, as C and C; clamp jaws for the bodies designated, generally as D; a Work piece rest for each clamp jaw designated, generally as E; an intermediate work piece rest designated, generally as F; clamping plates designated 42, and means for moving one clamp body and its clamp jaw a short distance toward and away from the other clamp body and its jaw and designated, generally as I.

Referring now, in detail to the drawings, the board A may be a top for a workbench, or it may be a board of a desired width and length that can be moved from place to place as work needs to be done, such, for instance as the location of a building under construction, any place where repair work may be undertaken, and in such case the board A can be supported in any desired manner.

The guide, or supporting member B is preferably in the form of a C-shaped channel member in end elevation, or cross-section, and is preferably from five to six feet long, although not necessarily so, as it can be longer, or shorter, as desired. The upper face of the member B is provided with a scale consisting of suitable graduations, or markings B.

The member B comprises the wall I, opposed side flanges 2 and the inturned ends 2' of the flanges 2, which are suitably spaced from the wall I and from each other to provide a throat 3. The member B may be fastened to the front face of the bench top by means of suitable fastening devices 4 so as to form a slideway and support for the clamp bodies C and C, the work piece rest designated F, and the means designated I.

The clamp bodies will now be described:

Two clamp bodies C and C are employed and they are slidably mounted on the. slideway B which supports and guides the bodies thereon.

Each clamp body comprises a body member having on the back face thereof an angular, or T-shaped head l2 which is slidably mounted and carried by the slideway B. The bodies are adjustable horizontally on the slideway independently toward and away from each other, and they are locked in any selected adjusted position with relation to each other by means of thumb screws 5', or similar fastening devices carried by the bodies C and C in tapped openings 6 therefor and the free inner ends of which fasteners frictionally contact the inner face of the wall i of the slideway B when the bodies are held in locked positions. Each clamp body is provided with a pair of vertical openings, or holes 1 suitably spaced apart and are provided with tapped side openings 1 carrying thumb screws 8, the purpose of which is to lock supporting rods 9 in desired vertically adjusted positions in the vertical body openings, or holes i. The purpose of the rods 9 will be apparent hereinafter. The inner end of each body C and C is provided with a horizontal bore H] and this bored end of each body is provided with a side screw threaded opening ll adapted to receive a thumb screw l2.

The clamp jaws adapted to be carried by the clamp bodies will now be described.

The clamp jaws designated, generally, as D each comprise a body l3 having a short shank I4 projecting from one end thereof. The shank M is receivable in the bore H] of each clamp body C and C and is locked against displacement either rotary or longitudinal, by means of the set screws 12 which frictionally engage the shanks 14.

The face of each clamping jaw opposite the shank end thereof is provided with a V-shaped clamping face and preferably one face, designated l5, of the V is in alignment with the axial center line of the shank I4, as clearly shown in the assembly view indicated as Fig. 1. Each clamping jaw D is further provided with a second work clamping face which is preferably right angular in form, as shown in Fig. 1, and it is located with relation to the V clamping face so that the face surface It thereof will lie in a horizontal position in alignment with, or slightly above the top face of the bench top when the clamp jaws are rotated to bring the clamp jaws in such positions. To rotate the jaws to a selected adjusted position with relation to the clamp bodies, all that is necessary to do is to loosen the thumb screws i2 and turn the jaws and then retighten the set screws to hold the jaws against displacement. It may be well to here state that when work is clamped between the V clamp surfaces of the jaws that the jaws can be rotated from one to forty-five degrees in either direction of rotation, but that when work is to be rotated further than forty-five degrees and up to ninety degrees, the work is first replaced from the V clamping surfaces to the right angular clamping, surfaces to avoid having the work strike the slideway B. While I have particularly referred to the work clamping surfaces as being in the form of a V and right angular, it is apparent, other shapes, or forms of clamping surfaces may be employed such as both being V-shaped, or both being right angular in shape.

The work supports associated with the clamping jaws will now be described:

The work supports, or rests, designated, generally, as E each comprise a rod I! which are detachably connected with the lower end of each clamp jaw by means of a screw-threaded end portion I8 having screw-threaded connection with a tapped hole IS in the clamp jaw. A work rest, or foot 20 is slidably mounted on each rod for vertical adjustment thereon, and it is held in its selected adjusted position by means of a thumb screw 2|.

The auxiliary work rest, or support designated, generally as F will now be described.

The work rest, or support F comprises a body member 22 of less height than the width of the throat of the slideway B and the upper and lower edges thereof are provided with the flanges 23 and 24, respectively, to provide a head to ride in back of the inturned ends 2 of the flanges 2 of the slideway B. The upper flange 23 is deeper than the lower flange 24 so that when the head is positioned in the slideway, the lower face of body member 22 will rest on the lower inturned end 2' of the slideway, thereby providing a gap 25 under the upper inturned end 2 of the upper flange 2 of the slideway, which permits the head of the member 22 to be easily and quickly attached to, or detached from the slideway. To attach the member 22 to the slideway, the member 22 is tilted so that the top flange 23 thereof can be inserted into the slideway, the member is then raised until the upper face of member 22 engages the upper inturned end 2 of the upper flange 2 of the slideway B, then the lower flange 24 of the head is moved into the slideway by straightening the member 22 and allowing the member 22 to be lowered until the same rests on the lower inturned end 2 of the lower flange 2 of the slideway B, as will be apparent from Fig. 6 of the drawing. The member 22 is provided with a depending arm 26 which is bifurcated to receive the upper end of a supporting rod 2'1. The rod 2! is hingedly connected to the bifurcated arm 26 by means of a suitable fastening device such, for instance, as a shoulder thumb screw 28, which when loosened, permits the rod to be swung into different positions, and when tightened locks the arm in a selected adjusted position. A work rest, or foot plate 29 is mounted on the rod 27 for vertical adjustment therealong, and the rest, or foot plate is in a locked position against displacement by means of a thumb screw 29. The work support F will hold itself in position with respect to the slideway by gravitation, and it is free to be moved manually along the slideway to any selected adjusted position between the clamp bodies and their clamping jaws.

The clamp body C is provided at its outer end with a body projection 30 having a bore 3| in the end face thereof. A slide block 32 is slidably mounted in the slideway adjacent the outer end of the clamp body C and it is provided with an enlargement 33 having an opening 34 therethrough, horizontally, and in axial alignment with the shank of the clamping jaw carried by the clamp body C. An internally screw-threaded sleeve 35 is mounted in opening 34 and is provided with a flanged head 36 at its inner end. A screw-threaded stem 3! is carried by the internally screw-threaded sleeve and receivable at its inner end by the bore 3! in the clamp body projection 39 and it is held therein against r0- tation or longitudinal displacement by means of a lock pin 38. A thumb nut 39 is suitably secured to the outer end of the screw-threaded stem 37 by means of a suitable fastening device such, as a set screw 46. This arrangement permits the clamping head and its jaw to be moved short distances toward, or away from the opposite clampingv body and jaw, particularly when light or delicate work is clamped between the jaws so as not to exert too much pressure thereagainst.

The slide block 32 is locked in selected positions on the slideway adjacent the clamp body C by means of a thumb screw 4| carried by the slideway.

A suitable fiat clamping plate 42 having a front saw-tooth like edge 43 is suitably connected, or fixed to the upper ends of each pair of rods 9 vertically mounted in the holes 1 in the clamping bodies C and C so as to be raised and lowered by the rods 9, with relation to the bench top. The clamping plates 42 project from their supporting rods 9 so as to overlie the bench top, and are designed to hold, or clamp work Z therebetween which rests on the bench top instead of being clamped between the clamping jaws, or supported by the work rests designated generally, as E and F. a

In operation, the clamp body C is locked in position at some predetermined point along the slideway. The clamp body C and the slide block 32 are then moved along the slideway, away from the clamp body C or toward the same to provide a distance between the two clamping jaws substantially the length of the work to be clamped between the jaws.

If the work piece is not of very great width such as a board or other object indicated by the broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and designated X, it is positioned on the rest plates 20, which are adjusted to the desired positions on the rods I! so that the sides of the upper end of the work piece can contact the selected clamping surfaces of the clamping jaws. The clamping jaw C is then forced tightly against the side edge of the work piece and the clamp body is then locked against displacement longitudinally away from the work. If this does not sufficiently clamp the work between the clamping jaws, the clamp is unlocked relative to the slideway and the thumb screw 39 is turned to move the clamping jaw carried by the clamp body C toward the work to be tightly clamped between the clamping jaws.

It will be apparent that the work has now been clamped in a vertical position in front of the workbench and the desired operations can be performed on the upper edge of the workpiece. If the workpiece designated X is clamped between the V-surfaces, it can only be tilted to an angle of forty-five degrees with relation to the vertical. However, if the work piece is clamped between the right angular surfaces of the clamping jaws, it can be moved to lie horizontal, and partly above the bench top and in contact therewith.

If the work piece is of greater width than can be accommodated by the rest plates 20, the work can rest upon the rest plate 29 as indicated by broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and designated Y.

Work adapted to rest upon the bench top and clamped between the clamping plates 42 is designated Z in Fig. 2.

From the foregoing description and reference to the drawings, it will be apparent that many classes and types of work pieces can be clamped in various positions in front of and above the bench top while work is to be performed thereon, and that the fixture is quickly and readily adjustable to accommodate most any class of work to be supported and clamped in position thereby, and that it is highly eflicient for the purposes intended.

The many advantages of the herein described invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that a simple device for this purpose has been disclosed, but it is to be understood that I do not desire to restrict, or limit myself to the very details of the construction shown and described, which is merely illustrative, it being obvious that various changes, not involving the exercise of invention, may be made without conflicting or departing from the spirit of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A work-piece clamping fixture adapted to be supported by the front face of the top of a workbench having, in combination, a channeled member horizontally positioned and secured to the front face of the top of the workbench and serving as a slideway, elongated body elements having T-shaped heads at the back thereof mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the slideway, rotatable adjustable and removable work-piece clamping-jaws carried by the inner ends of the body elements, said body elements lying in front of the channeled member, means engageable with the channeled member for fixing one of the clamping jaws in clamping position against one side of the work piece, and means for forcing and fixing the other clamping jaw in clamping position against the opposite sideof the work piece.

2. A fixture as defined in claim 1, wherein vertically adjustable and rotatable means are associated with the clamping-jaws for supporting the lower corners of the work-piece positioned between the clamping-jaws.

3. A fixture as defined in claim 1, wherein vertically adjustable and rotatable means are associated with the clamping-jaws for supporting the lower corners of the work-piece positioned between the clamping jaws, and longitudinally slidable means mounted in the slideway for supporting the work-piece intermediate its lower corners, and said latter means having a hinge connection adjacent its upper end.

HERMAN E. CLAUSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 306,052 Birch Oct. 7, 1884 488,600 Cowell Dec. 2'7, 1892 727,986 Makowsky May 12, 1903 834,703 Behringer Oct. 30, .1906

1,252,638 Wiedeman Jan. 8, 1918 2,284,449 Rodess May 26, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 291,678 Great Britain June 7, 1928 

